


Matter

by sanctuary_for_all



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: (Megan), Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 02:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5989177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his daughter is born, Walter can't help but think about his sister. (Future fic)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Matter

Though official visiting hours had ended several hours ago, the rules were apparently more flexible when it came to new fathers. Paige was asleep, exhausted by a delivery that Walter had been repeatedly reassured was no more difficult than average, and Ralph had gone to spend the night with Happy and Toby. Walter's laptop was abandoned on the couch next to him,  the hospital-issued bassinette was empty, and all of Walter's attention was wrapped up in the baby in his arms.

"I will not coo at you," he murmured to his new daughter, his voice soft and helpless in a way that would have been impossible a few years ago. "It's not that I don't appreciate how perfect you are, far more than even your aunt and uncles, but infants model language on what they hear. Given how intelligent your parents are in different ways, you need a solid foundation in language in order to achieve everything you're capable of."

Megan made a burbling sound, gaze fixed on Walter's face as she waved a tiny fist in the air. Walter knew that it was likely just gas - new infants weren't even supposed to be capable of smiling - but her expression seemed so amused that Walter felt a strange ache in his chest. It reminded him so much of the way Megan used to look at him when she would tease him about some scientific pronouncement he'd just made.

"You would have liked her," he whispered, brushing his thumb over his daughter's knuckles. "She would have probably spoiled you shamelessly. She loved babies." He felt his eyes well up, and he leaned over to brush the tears away with his knuckle. "She would have loved you best."

Megan made another small sound, letting go of his finger to pat at his cheek. Then her gaze shifted to a point on the opposite side of the room, so abruptly that Walter looked up to follow her gaze. There was no one there, the room as dim and still as it always was, and he looked back down at his daughter with a mock stern expression. "Your mother would try to tell me that you just saw your aunt, though the idea of ghosts are only slightly less scientifically ludicrous than angels."

But he remembered the weeks just after Megan died, when he found himself talking to the empty air more and more. He told himself at the time that he was merely thinking out loud, but now he could admit that he had been seeking the same sense of comfort he used to get when he talked a problem out with Megan.

"I wish I had my phone so I could take a picture."

Walter turned at the sound of his wife's sleepy voice.  "You should be sleeping."

Paige smiled, beautiful despite her exhaustion. "It's more fun watching you with our daughter." Then her expression turned solemn. "It's okay to think about your sister, Walter. Especially now."

He gave her the same mock-stern look he'd tried on their daughter. From the amusement in her eyes, it was no more successful. "There was no way to tell what I was thinking from my expression."

"Oh, I can tell a lot from your expressions, Walter O'Brien." The tone of her voice was heartbreakingly gentle. "And I feel like she's here. She wouldn't miss a big family event like this."

Walter swallowed, looking back down at Megan. "She's dead."

"Isn't it science that says matter can't be created or destroyed?"

"That means she's a star." He let out a long breath, remembering the rocket. "I'm no longer a concern for her."

"I have to disagree with that. Love always matters." She smiled. "And you know what they say about matter."

He huffed, something in his chest easing at the terrible joke that had been designed to comfort him. "No puns, please." He stood up, moving closer to his wife. "You'll corrupt Megan."

"Oh, her aunt would have told her far worse,"  Paige countered, reaching out to squeeze his arm before smoothing a hand over Megan's hair.

Walter knew she was right. "That doesn't mean we have any excuse."

000

Later, when Paige finally persuaded him to leave the hospital for a few hours sleep at home, he stopped in the parking lot and looked up at the stars.

"Her name is Megan Paige O'Brien," he said, tears blurring his eyes. The light pollution made it impossible to see the stars, but that didn't mean they weren't there. "I wish you could have met her. You would have made the best aunt."

For a moment, it felt like someone was listening.

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my weekly posts and original short fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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